Live streaming explained…

If you use Facebook I’m sure you’ve watched a live video, whether it’s a friend live streaming an adventure they’re having, maybe a wedding, a conference or a news event. Live streaming is here to stay and is proven to get more engagement on social platforms then pre-recorded content. It’s a great way for your clients to interact directly with their customers, in this email we want to explain how to and show you some popular options that will enable you to offer live streaming as a hassle free service!

Where to stream to?
Live streaming to the web will generally mean streaming to platforms including Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter to name but a few. Platforms such as Youtube and Vimeo also allow you to embed the stream in a clients website by supplying them with an embed code. But the question is how do you get the video from your camera to the internet in the first place? The solution is an encoder…

What do I need?
Solo from LiveU is an incredibly easy to use portable encoder allowing you to connect to a camera with HDMI / SDI. The Solo converts the video signal to data and transmits it over the internet to your destination – Youtube etc.

How does it work?
Solo gives you a number of options of how you connect to the internet making it an incredibly versatile tool. If you are in a venue you can simply connect the Solo to the internet via a network cable to an ethernet connection. If you are inside and need to be moving about you could instead use a wifi connection. If you are outside you can use two USB 4G dongles. With the top of the range Solo+ the unit also has two built in 4G modems. For absolute reliability you can also bond one or all of these connections to give you a super robust internet connection. For example:

Whats bonding?
Bonding allows you to combine internet connections. For example you have the following connections at the stated speeds:

4G Modem at 2Mbps
Ethernet at 20Mbps
Wifi at 10Mbps

By adding a cloud subscription to your LiveU Solo you would be able to combine the above to create a robust connection of 32MBps. If one connection speed drops the Solo will push more data through the remaining good connections to delivery your video at the optimal data rate. Subscribing to LiveU Cloud will also give you access to LRT (LiveU Reliable Transport). LRT is a system that monitors and ensures your data reaches the destination without dropping out.

Whilst we talk about an internet connection of 32Mbps this is purely an example to explain bonding. Bonding multiple 4G connections is vital in congested areas where you may only get much lower data rates.

An HDMI only encoder with two 4G modems and the cloud contract giving you the ability to bond these two connections would cost £1215 +VAT

You’ll also need SIM cards from a company such as EE, you can work out what amount of data you need by bearing in mind that a 1 hour stream at 5Mbps will use approx 2.5GB of data.

Go live and store and forward
Many broadcasters rely on LiveU kit to send live and prerecorded video from around the world on a daily basis, covering all types of content from breaking news, sports and much more the LiveU product lineup is the ideal way to offer live as a service.

How does it work?
To provide a live feed you need a different encoder that looks almost identical to the Solo. Also known as a point to point encoder this small box connects to your camera via SDI / HDMI and transmits to a receiving server that may be located at the broadcasters premises. The receiving server has an SDI output that may be used to air your footage live to television with delays as little as 1.8 seconds!

What do I need?
If you are freelance and want to add the ability to offer occasional live broadcasts your best bet is investing in a LiveU LU200E or LU200DVB.

Just as the Solo comes in two flavours the regular unit and the Plus. The LU200E has the ability to use two external 4G USB modems whereas the LU200DVB has two inbuilt modems as well as offering two external USB modems.

Can I see it work?
Absolutely, we have a LiveU LU2000 server at our North London showroom in Barnet. We can happily demonstrate the LU200E encoder in house as well as demonstrating a LU200DVB from a remote rural location in the UK.

The perfect solution
If you are looking to live stream from multiple cameras then get in touch today and we’ll help build your perfect system.

We’ve worked with all sorts of clients and have many pre-specified builds ideal for houses of worship, conferences, festivals and more.